Windows are the eyes to a house's soul – if your windows are big and beautiful so too is your home, but they can also include a range of challenges as well. With sub par windows, you can look forward to a drafty home with high heating bills. Similarly, there are also moisture issues – for example, if you don't seal the space between your double panes securely enough, you will get a build up of condensation. Having lived in old houses and having helped choose the windows for new houses, I'm familiar with a range of challenges associated with windows. If you want tips and ideas, you've come to the right spot. Please, explore and enjoy.
As a homeowner, cleaning your own eavestroughing is a regular task to ensure this system works properly. Although it's best to have professional eavestroughers handle repairs and installation of eavestroughing, the average homeowner can safely clean this network of gutters and downspouts after reading up on the topic online. If you've familiarized yourself with the job at hand and you're ready to tackle it, take a moment to consider safety. This task isn't without its share of risks, but keeping safety in mind will minimize your risk of an accident. Here are three areas on which to focus.
Ladder Safety
The heights at which you'll be working while cleaning your eavestroughing is the biggest safety risk for the job. As such, it's vitally important to employ safety techniques such as having a person who's heavier than you hold the ladder to provide support, tying off the top of the ladder to something sturdy and using ladder support brackets to prevent the top of the ladder from sliding across the edge of your roof. Before you begin the job, visually inspect your ladder to ensure it's in proper working order and familiarize yourself with it so you know when it's locked in position.
Eavestrough Scoop
Buying an eavestrough scoop will not only make the job of cleaning out your eavestroughing easier, but it will also be safer. This specialized scoop fits perfect in the eavestrough, allowing you to scoop out the debris with easy strokes. This approach is safer than using your hands, even if they're gloved, because and eavestrough can often contain roofing nails that could quickly send you to the emergency room in need of a tetanus shot. Part of using the scoop safely involves only taking short strokes when you're standing on a ladder; it's dangerous to reach too far to either side of you, as doing so will put you off-balance.
Proper Footwear
You'll increase your risk of completing the job safely if you're sure to wear the proper footwear. While you can opt for boots or shoes, make sure whatever choice you wear has rubber soles that have good grip. You'll need this grip for not only climbing and standing on the ladder, but also for navigating your way around the roof as the need arises. Boots are slightly more ideal that shoes, as they have better support for your ankles, which is useful due to the slope of the roof.
To learn more, contact a company like Eagle Eavestroughing.
Share8 October 2015
